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Deadline Day 2017: Who needs what and why?

Date published: Thursday 31st August 2017 2:40

Arsenal

What do they want to happen?
For Arsene Wenger and the club’s hierarchy to realise that they are on the edge of disaster, and to spend some money whether or not Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alexis Sanchez leave. They need a central defender, a central midfielder and probably an attacking midfielder too if Sanchez gets his wish. They’ve had all summer, and it has come to this.

What will happen?
Oxlade-Chamberlain will join Liverpool, Sanchez will join Manchester City and the only player Arsenal will sign is the one included in the deal that sees their best player leave. The problems in central defence and central midfield will remain.

Bournemouth

What do they want to happen?A central midfielder is needed if Eddie Howe really isn’t going to give Lewis Cook a chance, because Andrew Surman and Harry Arter do not offer enough protection against top-class attacking midfielders.

What will happen?Bournemouth’s poor start to the season will surely push Howe into action, although his is hardly a personality that screams panic. Then there’s the possible move for Demarai Gray, which would be brilliant.

Rumoured arrivalsDemarai Gray, James McCarthy, Harry Winks

Brighton

What do they want to happen?Brighton have recruited in a number of positions this summer, but by goodness they need a new striker. Glenn Murray, Tomer Hemed and Sam Baldock might have done enough in the Championship, but they will look out of place in the top flight. Fail to land a forward on the final day, and they’re a bit buggered.

What will happen?Cardiff’s Kenneth Zohore has been subject to three rejected bids, but Brighton might have to keep plugging away at that one if they want a permanent deal done. It would seem unlikely that they cannot at least get a loan deal done, but the truth is that Chris Hughton has not left it this late through choice.

Rumoured arrivalsKenneth Zohore, Oumar Niasse, Danny Ings

Burnley

What do they want to happen?Chris Wood arrived from Leeds and scored on his league debut, but Sean Dyche will still want another striker after the departure of Andre Gray. Dyche will probably be on the lookout for any player that could steel his side against a possible relegation fight, with a central defender to replace Michael Keane another gap in the squad.

What will happen?They will sign a striker, probably from abroad, but it is difficult to see Burnley getting the defender over the line unless they give a Championship club big money. They should be knocking down the City Ground door for Joe Worrall, as much as it pains me to say it.

Rumoured arrivalsAbdul Majeed Waris, Nakhi Wells

Chelsea

What do they want to happen?Antonio Conte to be sat with a smile on his face. The issue of Chelsea’s thin squad was overplayed after the loss to Burnley, but reinforcements are still required with the Champions League on the horizon. Conte probably wants three more signings to be truly satisfied.

What will happen?The bare minimum is that Fernando Llorente joins from Swansea and Danny Drinkwater arrives from Leicester. With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the way to Liverpool, the right wing-back will be tricky. What of Virgil van Dijk? And Diego Costa might finally bugger off.

Crystal Palace

What do they want to happen?If they aren’t going to sack Frank de Boer after three bloody games, Palace might as well actually buy him some players. Otherwise, they have effectively employed a wannabe artist and asked him to work with an ironmonger’s tools. Palace need four signings at least: a central midfielder, a central defender, a striker and a wide player. If they lose Andros Townsend you can make it two. Oh, and De Boer has mentioned a new goalkeeper.

What will happen?Palace will probably get Mamadou Sakho in the end, but from then on it is a struggle. You’re asking players to sign for a manager who might have less than a month left in the job; hardly the stable platform for success. Good luck, Frank.

Everton

What do they want to happen?They want a striker, and they want one badly. Everton have strengthened their squad in virtually every other area of the pitch, but against Chelsea they played with the slowest strike partnership in history: Wayne Rooney and Sandro Ramirez.

What will happen?Given the funds available and Everton’s efficiency in the transfer market this summer, you suspect that they will get their wish and welcome a striker who will be serviced by their 427 midfield options.

Leicester City

What do they want to happen?

They might want another central defender, and also want to trade in Demarai Gray for Andros Townsend because they have lost their minds. They want to keep hold of Danny Drinkwater and Riyad Mahrez, too.

What will happen?Drinkwater and Mahrez will surely both go, while a move for Ben Gibson might be more likely than Jonny Evans. They will probably sign George Hirst from Sheffield Wednesday, but as for the centre midfielder to replace Drinkwater…

Liverpool

What do they want to happen?Jurgen Klopp wants to land at least one of Thomas Lemar or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and logic would suggest that the latter is far more likely. He also wants a central defender, whether that be in the form of the mythical Scouse legend Virgil van Dijk or a more achievable target such as Ben Gibson. Buying the name isn’t always the right way. We haven’t even talked about Phillipe Coutinho yet.

What will happen?If Liverpool signed Van Dijk and Oxlade-Chamberlain, added to Naby Keita arriving next summer, they could sell Coutinho for a massive fee and feel happy that they had done sensible business. That is a realistic ambition going into deadline day.

Manchester City

What do they want to happen?They want another central defender, but what they really, really want is Alexis Sanchez. What everyone else thinks they need is a world-class central midfielder who could tie everything together. I just want them to sign Marco Verratti.

What will happen?Sanchez might well get done, either for straight cash or with a player-plus-money swap deal. The central defender is interesting. Do they just pay £30m for Jonny Evans at 10.30pm?

Rumoured arrivalsAlexis Sanchez, Virgil van Dijk, Jonny Evans

Manchester United

What do they want to happen?Nothing. Jose Mourinho says that United have finished their business, and we believe him. A wonderful crosser of the ball is still on the list, but Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s start to the season has made that far less of a priority.

What will happen?See above. A couple of fringe players might leave, with Chris Smalling the highest-profile potential departure, but even that looks highly unlikely.

Rumoured arrivalsIvan Perisic, a long time ago.

Newcastle United

What do they want to happen?Rafael Benitez not to be frantically dialling Mike Ashley on Friday morning asking him what the hell he is playing at. If Dwight Gayle really is going to be sold back to the Championship for £16m, Newcastle need a striker more than you could ever imagine. Another central midfielder wouldn’t go amiss either.

What will happen?Kenedy will join from Chelsea, but after that it’s hard not to assume the worst. Gayle will be sold and Newcastle then struggle to get anything over the line, ending in a panicked loan signing with minutes of the window left that nobody really wanted. Loic Remy is my bet.

Southampton

What do they want to happen?Southampton’s deadline day looks to be dominated by the future of Virgil van Dijk. If he stays, Southampton will have won the battle against player power but have a defender who doesn’t want to be there. If he goes, Southampton might have about 37 minutes to spend £70m.

What will happen?Van Dijk goes I think; sorry Southampton fans. If that leaves a squad light on numbers and quality in every area of the pitch, it’s a difficult problem to solve. Time for some Mauricio Pellegrino magic.

Rumoured arrivalsTheo Walcott

Stoke City

What do they want to happen?Kevin Wimmer might well be the last arrival. Stoke could do with a striker given Saido Berahino’s struggle for form, but Jese Rodriguez alleviates some of those worries. Stoke are normally busy on deadline day, but have done plenty in the last three weeks. Supporters still want more, but Stoke would probably prefer to play safe.

What will happen?Mark Hughes will not be able to resist, and will follow up the signing of Wimmer with a striker signing from nowhere. He’ll probably have won the Champions League as a fringe player at an elite club.

Rumoured arrivalsFabian Delph, Vincent Jannsen

Swansea City

What do they want to happen?They have £45m in the bank after the sale of Gylfi Sigurdsson. Given his domination over the club’s attacking statistics last season, the money needs spending. Attacking midfielders are a must, but with the probable sale of Fernando Llorente a striker is needed too.

What will happen?Llorente will go, and Swansea will sign Wilfried Bony as a replacement. They will also land Nacer Chadli from West Brom, and Santiago Arias from PSV. Renato Sanches will not join from Bayern Munich.

Tottenham

What do they want to happen?They need the strength in depth that Mauricio Pochettino has long been asking for, and they want Daniel Levy to do his Deadline Day thang. Having again failed to spot that the season starts before September 1, this is a big day for Spurs.

What will happen?Serge Aurier will sign, which isn’t particularly pleasant news. Ross Barkley might sign too, despite his recent injury. Juan Foyth – Spanish for invoice, fact fans – will also sign. After that, your guess is as good as mine.

Watford

What do they want to happen?A left-back, and that’s that. Marco Silva has done some ruddy good business this summer, and moving fringe players out might be the order of the day. I made a charity bet of £20 with someone on Twitter that Isaac Success would leave by the end of this window, and now can’t remember who they are. This is my last hope of finding them. Show yourselves (if he leaves).

What will happen?Plenty of players you forgot were there will leave on loan deals, before Watford bring in one player in the final hours simply because they can’t help themselves and it’s the right thing to do. Ashley Young would be fun.

Rumoured arrivalsAshley Young, Joe Gomez, Marvin Zeegelaar

West Brom

What do they want to happen?Tony Pulis would be happy with nothing happening on the final day for once. West Brom signed Kieran Gibbs, Oliver Burke and completed the outrageous coup of Grzegorz Krychowiak before Deadline Day had even begun, and that will do nicely. The complication is the looming interest in Jonny Evans.

What will happen?Very simply, Evans will go and Pulis will sign another central defender. Expect ageing but reliable, to fill the Evans role.

Rumoured arrivalsJosef de Souza, Chris Smalling

West Ham

What do they want to happen?To try and halt the dread that is encapsulating and suffocating everyone at the club like a poisonous smog. Failing that, sign some players based on how good you think they will be for the club rather than just because the owners have heard of them.

What will happen?The owners will sign some players they have heard of, rushed deals for individuals who don’t have any affinity for the club but are instead passing traffic in this lay-by of football despair. Or it might be fine.